Zach Lutz

Zach Lutz
Lutz with the New York Mets during spring training in 2014
Third baseman / First baseman
Born: (1986-06-03) June 3, 1986
Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Professional debut
MLB: April 24, 2012, for the New York Mets
NPB: June 21, 2014, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
KBO: March 28, 2015, for the Doosan Bears
Last appearance
MLB: September 28, 2013, for the New York Mets
NPB: July 21, 2014, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
KBO: April 22, 2015, for the Doosan Bears
MLB statistics
Batting average.226
Home runs0
Runs batted in2
NPB statistics
Batting average.314
Home runs5
Runs batted in18
KBO statistics
Batting average.111
Home runs1
Runs batted in3
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

Zachary "Zach" Craig Lutz[1] (born June 3, 1986[1]) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, and in the KBO League for the Doosan Bears.

Early life

Lutz was born on June 3, 1986, in Reading, Pennsylvania.[1] He attended Governor Mifflin Senior High School in Shillington, Pennsylvania, then Alvernia University in Reading, where his father Yogi was the baseball coach.[2][3] Zach played third base for the Alvernia Crusaders of the Division III Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (now known as the Colonial States Athletic Conference).[3] He earned preseason All-American honors prior to his 2007 junior year.[3]

Professional career

New York Mets

In the 2007 Major League Baseball draft, Lutz was chosen in the 5th round by the New York Mets,[2] and subsequently spent time in the Mets minor league system.[1]

In the 2010 baseball season, Lutz played for the Binghamton Mets and Buffalo Bisons, the Mets' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates,[4] despite missing around sixty days due to a stress fracture in his left foot.[2] In 61 games for Binghamton, Lutz hit 17 home runs, finishing with a .967 OPS.[4] At the end of the season, Lutz was promoted to Buffalo where he played five games, finishing with one home run while hitting to a .300 batting average.[2] Prior to the 2011 season, the New York Mets placed Lutz on the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[4]

On April 24, 2012, Lutz made his major league debut against the Miami Marlins, striking out in his one at-bat. Lutz got his first major league hit on April 27, in Denver against the Colorado Rockies. On September 1, Lutz was recalled by the Mets.

Lutz was again recalled on June 23, 2013, to fill in for Lucas Duda.[5] He joined fellow Alvernia University alum Anthony Recker on the team.

Lutz began the 2014 season with the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s, slashing .291/.386/.449 with seven home runs and 37 RBI across 59 games. He was released by the Mets organization on June 11, 2014, in order to pursue an opportunity in Asia.[6]

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

On June 16, 2014, Lutz signed with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball League.[7][8] In 15 appearances for the Eagles, Lutz slashed .314/.379/.667 with five home runs, 18 RBI, and one stolen base.

Doosan Bears

On January 14, 2015, Lutz signed with the Doosan Bears of the KBO League.[9] Lutz played in eight games for the Bears, going 3-for-27 (.111) with one home run and three RBI.

New York Mets (second stint)

On July 16, 2015, Lutz signed a minor league contract to return to the New York Mets organization.[10] He played in 23 games for the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s, hitting .203/.306/.297 with one home run and nine RBI.

Miami Marlins

On February 3, 2016, Lutz signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins.[11] He made 16 appearances for the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs, going 3-for-35 (.086) with seven walks. Lutz was released by the Marlins organization on June 20.

Somerset Patriots

Lutz signed with the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball on March 1, 2017.[12] In three games for Somerset, he went 1-for-8 (.125) with three walks. Lutz announced his retirement within a few weeks.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Profile". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d "Lutz added to 40-man". Reading Eagle. November 21, 2010. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Grumling, Darryl (April 26, 2007). "'Killer Z's' are Perfect for Alvernia". Reading Eagle. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c McCullough, Andy (November 19, 2010). "Mets add three players to 40-man roster". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  5. ^ "Mets Place Duda On 15-Day Disabled List". CBS News New York. June 23, 2013. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  6. ^ "Minor Moves: Hewitt, Lutz, Tuiasosopo, Piazza". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  7. ^ "Sources: Zach Lutz headed to Japan". June 11, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  8. ^ "Minor Moves: Ryan Tatusko, Zach Lutz, Nick Evans". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  9. ^ "Doosan Bears acquire ex-big league infielder Zach Lutz". m-en.yna.co.kr. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  10. ^ "Minor MLB Transactions: 7/16/15". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  11. ^ "Minor MLB Transactions: 2/3/16". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  12. ^ "Former New York Met Zach Lutz Signed By Somerset Patriots". Bridgewater, NJ Patch. March 1, 2017. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  13. ^ Ashmore, Mike. "Somerset Patriots Year In Review: Zach Lutz". Courier News. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.